Connector



May 25, 1965 J. s. PRlFoGLE 3,185,953"v CONNECTOR Filed Sept. 16, 1963United States Patent O 3,185,953 CNNEC'IR .lolm' Stanley Prifogle, NewGarden Township, Wayne County, Ind., assigner to Belden ManufacturingCornpany, Chicago, lll., a corporation of Illinois Filed Sept. 16, 1963,Ser. No. 309,063 2 Claims. (Cl. 339-59) This invention relates generallyto an electrical connector and, more particularly to an electricalconnector having a sheet metal contact.

Ordinarily, for reasons of cost, one or more of the female contacts ofan electrical connector is made from sheet metal. Some of such contactsare tubular and, by virtue of their design, they may be formed with alongitudinal seam where the edges of the metal meet. In use, the sheetmetal contact has a tendency to spread and deform due to the manner inwhich the plug is withdrawn from the connector. When this is done withexcessive leverage the mouth of the contact may be permanently damaged,resulting in an unreliable electrical connection.

The present invention has for its principal object the provision of anew and improved female connector having a plurality of sheet metalcontacts encased within a flexible body. A related object is provisionof a polarized connector having a yieldable body with rigid barriermeans effectively preventing improper engagement between connectorcontacts and non-associated plug contacts. Another related object isprovision of a connector of more durable and less expensive constructionthan has heretofore been employed.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be understoodby reference to the following description and to the accompanyingdrawings of one selected embodiment.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a femaleconnector embodying various of the features of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken generally along the line2 2 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken generally along the line3 3 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 4 4 inFIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken generallyalong the line 5 5 in FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional View taken generally along the line6 6 in FIGURE 5.

As illustrated generally in FIGURE 1, the invention is, in brief,directed to a connector Il) having a relatively soft and yieldabledielectric body I2 disposed about the end of an electrical cord 14. Theselected embodiment is illustrated in the form of a polarized connectorgenerally referred to in the electrical industry as a NEMA connector andis suitably designed and dimensioned to conform to the standardsrelating to connectors as published by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.As will be mode fully described, the body 12 has an end face 16 with aplurality of `bores or access openings 20, 22 and 24 which extend fromthe face toward female contacts (FIGURES 2 and 3) within the connectorbody 12 and through which access may be had between the interior femalecontacts and respectively associated male contacts of a complementarypolarized male plug (not shown). Extending within the body l2 and acrossthe openings 2li, 22 and 24, just inwardly of the end face 16, is abarrier or insert 28 of a relatively rigid dielectric material. Thebarrier has passages 30, 32 and 34 aligned with the openings 2), 22 and24, and with associated female contact members, as 40, 42 and 44,respectively, for access of the male contacts to the associated femalecontacts. The rigidity of the barrier 28 and the shape and size of theopenings Sil and 32 with respect to the associated male contactseffectively prevent forceable entry of a non-associated male contacthaving a greater cross-sectional dimension than the passage, intoengagement with the female contact associated with the passage. Thepassage 34 receives an outer end or mouth of the female Contact 44,which is of generally tubular construction and of noncircularcross-section, and the barrier 28 closely encircles the mouth foreffectively preventing distortion thereof as might occur upon pryingmovement of the associated male contact.

The connector disclosed herein is designed to receive a complementarypolarized male plug having three male contacts, including circular ornon-circular grounding contact and a pair of parallel, spaced apartrectangular blades which are of equal thickness but of slightlydifferent widths. However, the disclosed connector may be designed foruse with a conventional non-polarized male plug. In this respect, thespacing contemplated between the parallel blades of the complementarypolarized plug is identical to the spacing employed between the twinblades of the conventional non-polarized plug, and the contemplate sizeof the smaller polarized rectangular blade is at least as large as thetwin blades of the conventional plug. In this fashion, the blades of theconventional male plug, which may be of lesser width than the polarizedblades, will readily enter the inlet openings. In addition, thedisclosed connector may receive a polarized male plug having a groundingprong of circular or non-circular cross-section and a pair of twinrectangular blades of a design similar to that employed in theconventional non-polarized male plug.

Although the present invention has been briefly described and will bemore fully described in terms of the polarized connector illustrated inFIGURE 1, it should be apparent that this invention is applicable tonumerous variations in the number and arrangements of female `contactsemployed. In this connection, the female connector may be constructed toreceive one or more male contacts in various different patterns orarrangement. In addition, the connector may provide for the receipt ofmale contacts of a wide variety of different cross-sections as may seemmost desirable under the circumstances. For example, the femaleconnector may be a business machine connector, television connector,etc.

The body 12 may be readily and economically molded of a material such asa thermoplastic resin. The body may take a wide variety of shapes andforms, taking into consideration the various requirements ofmanufacturing techniques to be employed, the number and size of thefemale contacts to be used, the decorative exterior design desired,providing any desired type of ribbing or means for assisting in graspingthe connector during the joining and disconnecting of the connector to acomplementary plug. In this instance, the body takes the formillustrated in FIGURE 1, and is of generally pentagonal cross-sectionwith the flat outer end face lo from which the sides of the connectorextend in generally perpendicular relation and subsquently converge toform an opposite end from which the cord 14 extends. Various of thesides may be formed with transverse series of ridges and grooves, asSil, to assist in grasping the connector.

Wires extend from the cord 14 and are suitably electrically connectedwith the female contacts 4G, 42 and 44, respectively. This assembly,along with the barrier 2S, may be held operatively associated asillustrated, in any suitable manner as by a jig. The yieldable body 12is then molded thereabout to hold the barrier and the contact and cordassembly operatively enclosed within the body.

in the illustrated embodiment the barrier 23 is a plate having .a fiatinner face 52 and parallel thereto a flat outer face 53. The mold issuch as to provide the openings 20, 22 and 24 extending inwardly fromthe end face 16 of the body and in alignment with the respective barrieropening and the female contacts. The contacts 44) and 42 are located inopposed relationship to each other as shown, while the third or groundcontact 44 is located in spaced relation from adjacent sides of each ofthe contacts 4) and 42, and in general alignment with an imaginary linerun ning parallel to and centrally of the contacts 4%'9 and 42. Thecontacts 40, 42 and 44 are positioned generally perpendicular to theinner face 52 of the barrier 28 and the mold is such as to form the bodyand face 16 generally perpendicular to the outer face S3 of the barrier23. Since the body 12 is molded around the barrier 2S, the outer edgeand the upper `and lower faces of the barrier are effectively sealedagainst moisture.

The two female contacts 40 and 42 are of similar construction and areeach intended to receive one of a pair of male contacts which are ofgenerally rectangular crosssection, as previously mentioned. Briefly,each of the female contacts 4t) and 42 includes a jaw section 54 (FIGURE2) at an outer end of the contact, the jaw sections being adapted toreceive and make contact with the associated male contacts. The femalecontacts 4t) and 42 further each include a section 55 at its oppositeinner end. Each section 55 has a pair of ears 56 which are crimped tothe respective lead wires from the cord 14, and an intermediateretroverted ear 57 for maintaining the base region of the opposing jawsin closely adjacent relation.

In order for the female contacts 46, 42 and 44 of the connectors llt) toreceive the associated male contacts of the complementary plug, theseries of access openings 20, 22 and 24, respectively, are provided aspreviously noted, and are in generally alignment with the associatedfemale contacts and are substantially perpendicular to the end face 16and the plane of the barrier 2S. Each of the access openings is formedwith a cross-section slightly larger than the cross-section of theassociated contact of the complementary polarized plug for easyinsertion of the plug contacts into the connector contacts. In thiscase, the openings 20 and 22, which lead to the respective femalecontacts 40 and 42, are of generally rectangular cross-section and aresuitably beveled at their outer extremities to provide for greater easein locating and joining the male plug to the female connector.

With particular reference to FGURES 3, 5 and 6, the ground femalecontact 44 is intended to receive a ground male contact having acrosssection which is D-shaped or non-circular or which is substantiallycircular. As shown, the female ground contact 44 includes a D-shapedtubular portion 6d for receiving the associated male contact, and aportion 62 crimped to a ground lead wire from the cord 14. The groundcontact is made from sheet metal and is formed with a longitudinal seam66 where both edges of the metal meet. A tab 68 is struck out of thesheet metal to form a bottom for the contact. The cross-section of theopening 24 conforms generally to the opening crosssection of the tubularreceiving section di) of the female ground contact 44 and its outer endmay be beveled for easy access of the male ground contact.

As the connector body 12 is generally made of a moldable and relativesoft and resilient dielectric material, such as rubber or thermoplasticresin, the openings 20, 22 and 24 occasionally may be subject todeformation or displacement as an incident to the forceable insertion ofthe illfitting or improper contacts of a male plug. To overcome this,the barrier 28 is made in a single piece and the openings and passagesare so located and are of such sizes and shape that they will fit andaccommodate the male contact members of the appropriate male connectorplug and no other. The barrier 2S may be stamped or otherwisefifabricated from any relatively rigid dielectric material such as apaper base phenolic sheet.

The outer ends of the female contacts 4i? and 42 are positioned inwardlyof the inner barrier face 42 so that the jaws 54 may flex in normalmanner upon insertion or withdrawal of the associated male contacts. Thefemale ground contact 44 extends through the barrier passage 34 and theedge of the barrier defining this passage closely encircles the mouthportion of the tubular part 6i), permitting only slight spreading of thecontact. However, permanent deformation or distortion of the mouth iseffectively prevented. Also the barrier 28 being rigid and made in onepiece prevents any of the female contacts from shifting relative to anyof the other female contacts.

The barrier 28 is provided with two additional holes, a relatively largehole 70 in the center of the barrier and a smaller hole 72 adjacent thesmaller passage 32. The smaller olf-center hole 72 is provided toindicate to the molding operator the correct orientation of the barrierwhen assembling it on the molding fixture. The larger hole 7@ provides apassage through which plastic can flow during the molding operation,thus resulting in improved means for anchoring all of the componentstogether.

Various changes and modifications may be made in the disclosedconstruction without departing from the principles of the presentinvention.

Various features of the invention are set forth in the accompanyingclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. A polarized female electric connector comprising a molded relativelyyieldable dielectric body having an end face, at least three elongatedfemale contact members having outer ends adjacent said end face andextending therefrom generally parallel to each other within said body,each of said female contact members being adapted to receive anassociated male contact extending from a complementary male plug havingmale contacts of different cross section, one of said female contactmembers being a grounding connection generally non-circular and made ofsheet metal formed into a tube with a longitudinal seam, said bodyhaving an opening therein extending from said end face toward each ofsaid female contact members for providing access to each female contactmember by the associated male contact, and a relatively rigid one-piecesheet dielectric barrier within said body, extending across saidopenings inwardly of said end face and encased in said body, saidbarrier having a plurality of passages therethrough for accommodatingthe male contacts of the complementary male plug, one of said passagesreceiving the mouth of said tubular female contact member and closelyencircling said mouth for effectively preventing distortion of saidtubular female Contact member at said mouth, the other passages being inalignment with the other openings and being of slightly larger crosssection than the complementary associated male contacts, the outer endsof said other female contact members being spaced inwardly from theinner face of the barrier.

2. A polarized female electric connector comprising a molded relativelyyieldable dielectric body having an end face, at least three elongatedfemale contact members having outer ends adjacent said end face andextending therefrom generally parallel to each other within said body,each of said female contact members being adapted to receive anassociated male contact extending from a complementary male plug, themale contacts being of different cross section, one of said femalecontact members being a tubular ground connection formed of sheet metalwith a longitudinal seam, said body having openings therein extendingfrom said end face toward said respective female contact members forproviding access to said female contact members by the associated malecontact members, and a relatively rigid one-piece sheet dielectricbarrier enclosed within said body and extending across said openingsinwardly of said end face, said barrier having a plurality of passagestherethrough, one of said passages receiving the mouth of said tubularfemale vcontact member and closely encircling said mouth for effectivelypreventing distortion of said one female contact member at said mouth,the other passages being in alignment with the other openings and beingof slightly larger cross section than their associated male contacts,the outer ends of the female contact members aligned with said otherpassages being spaced inwardly from the insert, said barrier having aperforation which is lled with said body material whereby portions ofsaid body on op' posite sides of said barrier are integrally unitedtogether.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 .OSEPH D.SEERS, Primary Examiner.

1. A POLARIZED FEMALE ELECTRIC CONNECTOR COMPRISING A MOLDED RELATIVELYYIELDABLE DIELECTRIC BODY HAVING AN END FACE, AT LEAST THREE ELONGATEDFEMALE CONTACT MEMBERS HAVING OUTER ENDS ADJACENT SAID END FACE ANDEXTENDING THEREFROM GENERALLY PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER WITHIN SAID BODY,EACH OF SAID FEMALE CONTACT MEMBERS BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE ANASSOCIATED MALE CONTACT EXTENDING FROM A COMPLEMENTARY MALE PLUG HAVINGMALE CONTACTS OF DIFFERENT CROSS SECTION, ONE OF SAID FEMALE CONTACTMEMBERS BEING A GROUNDING CONNECTION GENERALLY NON-CIRCULAR AND MADE OFSHEET METAL FORMED INTO A TUBE WITH A LONGITUDINAL SEAM, SAID BODYHAVING AN OPENING THEREIN EXTENDING FROM SAID END FACE TOWARD EACH OFSAID FEMALE CONTACT MEMBERS FOR PROVIDING ACCESS TO EACH FEMALE CONTACTMEMBER BY THE ASSOCIATED MALE CONTACT, AND A RELATIVELY RIGID ONE-PIECESHEET DIELECTRIC BARRIER WITHIN SAID BODY, EXTENDING ACROSS SAID OPENINGINWARDLY OF SAID END FACE AND ENCASED IN SAID BODY, SAID BARRIER HAVINGA PLURALTIY OF PASSAGE THERETHROUGH FOR ACCOMMODATING THE MALE CONTACTSOF THE COMPLEMENTARY MALE PLUG, ONE OF SAID PASSAGES RECEIVING THE MOUTHOF SAID TUBULAR FEMAL CONTACT MEMBER AND CLOSELY ENCIRCLING SAID MOUTHFOR EFFECTIVELY PREVENTING DISTORTION OF SAID TUBULAR FEMALE CONTACTMEMBER AT SAID MOUTH, THE OTHER PASSAGES BEING IN ALIGNMENT WITH THEOTHER OPENING AND BEING OF SLIGHTLY LARGER CROSS SECTION THAN THECOMPLEMENTARY ASSOCIATED MALE CONTACTS, THE OUTER ENDS OF SAID OTHERFEMALE CONTACT MEMBERS BEING SPACED INWARDLY FROM THE INNER FACE OF THEBARRIER